


Dream a Little Dream (of Me)

by overworkedunderwhelmed



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: All the warnings just in case, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Identity Reveal, Ladrien | Adrien Agreste/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, LadyNoir - Freeform, Ladynoir | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng as Ladybug, Marichat, Marichat | Adrien Agreste as Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Minor Character Death, Nightmare Chat Noir, Nightmare Ladybug 2.0, Not Really Character Death, Sandboy 2.0, offscreen injury
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-18
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-06 10:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,959
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25967938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/overworkedunderwhelmed/pseuds/overworkedunderwhelmed
Summary: With the continuing presence of Akuma looming dark over the skies of Paris, a weary Ladybug and Chat Noir struggle to protect one another as the line between dreams and nightmares have grown increasingly blurred.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 110
Kudos: 275





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Dropping this one un-betaed for now to help me continue to write tomorrow on a rare day off that does not include me in a hospital. Edit: Now beta read by Kellarhi!
> 
> I'm aware there may be errors, and one of my beta readers will get to it eventually. However, we all have lives and we're all doing out best right now. Sometimes, something has to give for forward progress to happen. The typical Tumblr post will wait for that to happen, too.
> 
> At least two chapters with this one...maybe more if I'm inspired.

It was the sudden sight of pink and pigtails scrambling down the block that left Adrien startled and ducking back into the cover of the alleyway.

He sighed, feeling the cool night air lingering in the stone chilling his back and cooling his head as he forced his breathing to slow. It wasn’t easy, fighting with that first instinct to race after _her_. To keep his friend safe. 

Thanks to his father's newest ridiculous advertising campaign that had plastered his face all over Paris, chasing her without his mask in place was just begging to borrow trouble.

Besides, the sight of Marinette racing to class or home...or away from an Akuma wasn’t _exactly_ an unusual one.

Adrien frowned; he could swear that the little, nagging inner voice could have actually been Plagg were it not for the fact that his Kwami was snoring lazily in his pocket.

In fact, after a full year of Akuma attacks, it wasn’t a shock to see citizens of Paris on the run. It was usually a few quick tip offs that something was amiss. Joggers—in ready preparation for the next, inevitable attack—were usually decked out in workout attire. Yet no one was screaming or scrambling to get out of the way… which was _typically_ a good sign.

But it was late… and it was growing darker by the minute.

He had barely made it to the cheese shop to grab a fresh supply of Camembert for Plagg before it closed. The bag hung heavily off his shoulder, under the cover of the growing gloom as he dared another peek to look for her. At any other time, Adrien probably would have checked his phone and then popped over in view of Marinette’s balcony to make sure she got home alright.

His brows furrowed. Unless his instincts for direction had suddenly failed him, Marinette wasn’t racing towards home, which reignited his concern. With growing urgency, he tapped his pocket, prodded Plagg awake, and prepared to transform.

Only to witness _himself_ vaulting over the alleyway.

“Plagg!” He hissed, tapping his shirt pocket more frantically. “Did you see that?”

“See what?” Plagg yawned toothily.

“Chat Noir!” He breathed, dropping his voice down to the quietest whisper he could manage. Adrien knew all too well how keen his hearing was with the aid of the transformation.

Plagg blinked at him incredulously. “You looked in the mirror?”

Snorting ruthlessly, Adrien slipped to the edge of the alley and peered out, pointing to the familiar figure in black vaulting down the street. “What are the odds that Bunnyx brought me here?”

“Without an Akuma?” Plagg grunted, as he stole a choice bite of Camembert from the half open bag. “Seems unlikely…”

“Then we need to move.” Adrien’s fists tightened around the bag, pulling it close so he could carry it until he detransformed. “She’s counting on us.”

“Ladybug?” Plagg nodded. 

Blinking, Adrien fell into his usual pose. “Of course.” He smiled. “My Lady, too.”

* * *

Despite his better judgment, Adrien scrambled, hastily transforming into Chat Noir to tail Marinette. It was risky, especially seeing as how his double was out and about, potentially alarming anyone who might see double and panic.

But with this other Chat too close to his _friend_ … His claws bit anxiously into the metal of the baton. Right now, he just couldn't see any other option.

He had to scramble across the rooftops to catch up. He didn’t want to endanger Marinette by coming too close to set off his double. Worse, he had to assume that the powers—and abilities were comparable.

Finally, as he crested over the ridges of the chimney, Chat Noir caught a glimpse of Marinette. 

It was clear she was a little panicked. Her eyes kept scanning the horizon whenever she turned her gaze back over her shoulder.

She knew. She had to know she was being chased.

And Marinette was freaked out.

Chat Noir scowled, glancing away for just a second, hoping for some sort of inspiration… for some sort of Ladybug-level idea to pop into his head. Just who was this version of him that had her so anxious? He couldn’t even imagine a universe where _that_ might be okay.

Of course, it was when he’d looked away that the figure in black rushed in to strike.

Gritting his teeth, Chat Noir acted on instinct, rushing forward, stretching his baton—desperate to reach her.

Only, the other Chat was clearly desperate, too. He reached Marinette first, ducking and rolling and pushing her out of the way of an oncoming car just in time.

Aghast, Chat Noir’s eyes flew open. Breathless, he halted in place, grasping the rooftop with his boot in a tenuous hold in the toehold he’d dug into the side of the building.

The sound of her voice brought his heart back to life, beating steadily, painfully forward. The car racing off quickly with hardly a backwards glance.

Until his ears twitched, recognizing the discordant notes of a fraught whimper. 

“No.” Marinette choked, leaning across the other Chat’s prone form. “No. No, no, no.”

He watched from above, stunned and transfixed as she sobbed anew. 

“Not again.” She shook her head, leaning back enough now that the sheen of tears were clear in her reddening eyes as she pounded her fist atop his double’s chest. Her pained hiss of whisper carried up to reach his too alert ears “You can’t do this to me again! Not again, you hear me?”

He frowned, watching from above in barely disguised confusion, racking his brain. _When_ on Earth had he died saving her before?

Chat’s claws buried into the stone face of the building as he steadied himself, sending pebbles clattering to the ground. This just couldn’t be real. Sure, it was possible this was him from another time. The fact that Bunnyx was around just opened the door to possibility. But it shouldn’t have been anything Marinette had ever seen before. Even for him, it had only ever happened in his darkest nightmares, when anyone and everyone abandoned him. Just before he woke up in a cold sweat.

Grimacing, he peered back down as the other Chat Noir on the ground coughed, the tremor racking his slim frame. If he were well, there was no doubt in Chat’s mind his doppelganger could look up and see him. 

Thankfully, he only had eyes for Marinette. “You'll just bring me back.” A shaky, clawed hand reached up, weakly cupping her cheek “My Lady…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big thanks go out to Epcot for beta reading this one for me!

As the dust crumbled beneath her fingertips for the third time, Marinette scrambled, scrubbing the backs of her palms to soothe the tears spilling down her cheeks as she raced blindly down the blocks.

He had found her twice already. The first time had been shocking, finding him hanging out in her bedroom. She and Chat Noir were close, but he was polite enough to not enter her room without an invitation -- or an Akuma. 

In retrospect, that should have been her first clue.

She had to hurry, summoning Tikki to transform her before he could piece himself together and find her again 

Her every instinct -- not to mention Tikki -- were screaming that this had to be Sandboy. Unless it was something actually new, nothing else made nearly enough sense. Hawkmoth hadn’t exactly been clever, recycling old villains whenever he thought he could use the leverage. 

In fact, it was almost more surprising that she and Chat Noir hadn’t stumbled onto any other versions of themselves after what Hawkmoth pulled on Heroes’ Day, making Ladybug into a true villainess for all of Paris to see.

She wasn’t the only one who apparently considered how to best old villains.

Not like last time they fought Sandboy. At least then, she could at least outrun Adrien, especially while she was transformed.

No, she had to be plagued by the one recurring nightmare that had been keeping her up for weeks now.

Chat Blanc had been legitimately terrifying…fighting her own partner had never had higher stakes and her victory had been a very near thing. But still… their love would destroy the world…

She still had no idea what it was that Adrien could ever have said that had ended with she and Chat Noir ending up together before the world fell to literal pieces. That she would never have a chance? Not for the first time, she forced the thoughts from her head… they were still too dangerous to consider, even now.

That fight had haunted her for weeks even after her Miraculous Ladybug spell had set absolutely everything she could to rights -- and undone what further risk to her own secrets immediately after. 

In fact, as sad as it made her to pull farther away from Adrien, the safer she was sure that she was keeping Chat Noir. If Adrien wasn’t close enough to her to see through her mask, he couldn’t spill her secret identity to whomever might get that information to Hawkmoth and bring about Chat Noir’s terrifying Akumatization.

When she also had to assume her new duties as the Guardian, those worries for the whole box of Kwami were quick to take its place, filling the void for her anxiety that no number of late night sewing and planning sessions with Tikki could quell. 

With Chat Noir still at her side -- but no longer pressing her for romance -- even that was starting to become a far more comfortable burden to bear.

Except those old worries wouldn’t let her rest...not when he so readily took every hit that was aimed for her.

Not when she was now even more reliant on her partner than she had ever been before.

Not even Ladybug could trust that she could always be so lucky. 

* * *

Ladybug flinched when Chat Noir found her within minutes. She couldn’t exactly help it at the moment. Clutching her yoyo from her bandelero, she snapped open the viewscreen, only daring to breathe after she glanced down at the steady, flashing indicator on the screen right beside her.

Chat Noir’s ears bent low, slowly lurching forward. Curious, she watched him tentatively extend one gloved claw towards her.

Quickly soothing her, even though she was clearly upset. “Are you alright, My Lady?”

Silent questions lingered in those green eyes. She looked down to the gentle claw resting on her shoulder and shrugged it off. Carefully turning away from his too canny gaze. 

Ladybug spun on her heel, pacing the rooftop and and trying to keep her gaze turned safely away...out over the rooftops, and not back at him, reassuring herself that he was alright. She snorted, trying his tactic to turn it all into a joke. At least that might keep her from crying. Or noticing the pain on his face as he drew back his claw uselessly to his side.

“You’re not about to throw yourself off a building for me, are you?”

“I mean...I wasn’t _planning_ on it.” Blinking, Chat Noir marched over to stand beside her, green eyes narrowed as he leaned down slightly to her eye level. “What is it?” 

Her arms crossed over her chest. “I’m pretty sure Hawkmoth brought Sandboy back again.”

He whistled, eyes growing a little distant and unfocused. “That would explain…” 

She nodded, steadying her gaze back out over towards the southeast this time. “I’ve been a little preoccupied, myself.” 

“Which means we need to work fast.” Chat Noir whispered. “He hasn’t found me yet.”

Ladybug smiled. At least one of them was safe and steady right now.

And if they moved fast, maybe she could evade Nightmare Chat before he rose from the ashes again.

* * *

With both of them on the case -- between the reporting coming in from Nadja and the Ladyblog -- it didn’t take long to get a solid lead of where Sandboy was terrorizing the skies

...the scurrying of people away from their nightmares was telling enough.

It wasn’t all of Paris, just enough to show where Sandboy had been from the screams of citizens and the odd scrambling out into the otherwise quiet streets.

Most of the nightmares were thoroughly occupied with haunting the Parisians they plagued. But by now, many feared a particular Akuma they had run into in the past. 

A panic-stricken Chloe scrambled out into the street beside the hotel, frazzled blonde hair streaming behind her as she ran screaming in their direction. “Don’t just stand there. Do something!”

Shrugging, they both made their way down to the ground, puzzled to see she was being chased by nothing.

Ladybug’s eyes widened first in realization.

Chat Noir gasped, “Vanisher!” a split second later. His shoulders tensed before he sprung, heightened instincts at full alert as he and Ladybug tucked and rolled, her face grew pale.

“We need to keep moving my Lady.” Baton out and at the ready, Chat’s eyes darted around on the watch for any more dream Akuma, as he leapt back to his feet. If there was one other dream Akuma out on the streets, there was bound to be more before they were done. Chat Noir looked back over his shoulder at her, surprised she hadn’t been right back up before he was. 

She bit her lip, summoning up her courage to carry on as if his words hadn’t been the exact echo of the same ones he’d said just before he turned to dust the first time tonight…

Immediately, he offered her a claw up, a warm smile tugging at his lips. 

Ladybug inhaled sharply, mustering all of her inner strength to pretend this was just any other ordinary battle. She rolled back slightly, gathering an extra bit of momentum to leap up onto her feet on her own. He couldn’t know just how much this was all affecting her right now. 

“I don’t need your help, Chat Noir.”

His shoulders slumped when the words echoed in the empty alleyway.

Ladybug frowned, her yo-yo shield going up on instinct. _She_ hadn’t spoken them.

“Leave me alone Chat. I don't need you.” The voice was a deadened, hollow echo of her own. It was still jarring, listening to her poke and prod all his quiet fears of abandonment.

The real Ladybug sighed. Of course they would end up as each other’s nightmares this time around…

“You know you were forcing your affections on me for too long. It was too much.”

Slowly, he turned back, stunned and contrite and far smaller that she knew he was. This nightmare version of herself might not be real, but her aim struck surprisingly true, twisting the knife in with unflinching ruthlessness.

Which meant, she couldn’t afford to hesitate further. Planting her gloved hands on either side of his face, forcing his gaze to her. “Use your head, Chaton.” She whispered. 

“M… m’Lady?” Chat blinked, his gaze still a little unfocused.

Her heart ached for him. 

They had to move, the rush of the wind was the one true thing that could bring them both back into focus and would draw out their nightmare adversaries. Best as she could manage with his taller form, she scooped him up into a hug that left him slightly slumping over her back like the cat he pretended to be. Determined, she let her yo-yo snag and anchor onto the roof as she gathered just a bit of extra momentum to slingshot them both back up onto the rooftops.

In spite of herself, she darted a glance over at him, watching the light and wonder sink back into his eyes as she rushed them both forward. He was quick to pick up and carry himself as soon as he could.

He really did carry far more on his shoulders than even she knew, especially if even her assurances that he mattered had still left a fair amount of room for doubt in his mind for all she knew that he trusted her.

Suddenly, his form had straightened beside her, and suddenly his hackles rose, as he placed his hand on her upper arm, spotting the flying pillow hovering in the glow of a restaurant the next street over. 

Ladybug shook her head, summoning her Lucky Charm before she thought better of it. If the rest of this battle when anything like last time, they would need every spare second they could get.

A spotted mirror fell into her hands, a jagged edge open along the top.

Puzzled, she looked over at him for inspiration. 

Shrugging, he nodded out into the gloom nearer to Sandboy. “I’m pretty sure I’m seeing double.”

“Well, it seems we are our own worst enemies, after all, Chaton.”

* * *

If Chat Noir -- the real one -- was surprised he was her nightmare, too, he never let on.

“You know I don’t think like that, right?”

The uncertainty laid bare in his eyes, but Chat still smiled softly. “I know you wouldn’t lie to me, Ladybug.”

She nodded fiercely. When this was all over, she knew she was going to have to reassure him again somehow. Even with her feelings from Adrien now pushed away at arms length to keep him safe, it wasn’t like she could exactly jump into Chat Noir’s arms.

Even if they were far more inviting than she’d ever let herself think about before, even if there was no other person she trusted more. Fighting Chat Blanc had proven to her that a relationship between them would only pave the way to absolute _catastrophe_.

Not that she could really tell _him_ that…

His eyes had never left hers. “So what is the plan, my Lady?”

* * *

After everything she had gone through tonight, Ladybug wasn’t about to throw, toss, or otherwise harm her partner -- especially not with her Lucky Charm stowed away on his back. That made her usual array of plans far more limited.

Once they finally had Sandboy in their sights, both of their nightmare doubles ducked out of the shadows to attack.

It was harder to tell each other apart, so it was much easier for each of them to turn on their own doubles.

The nightmare Ladybug would only ever call out things that would cause him to doubt.

“You know he can’t ever make you happy,” her dark mirror smiled back at her, volleying her yoyo with a yoyo shield of her own.

Ladybug’s lips pressed into a thin but equally fierce smile. “You don’t know all that I know.”

Her answer startled a shocked pair of gasps from the pair of Chat Noir. It was a nice change from both of them swearing to protect her more.

It was easier to pick out her Chat by the flash of red at his back, tied on tight with his tail. It stole one of his advantages, but she knew he could make up the difference with his baton and claws.

With all the challenges, it took a little longer than she’d hoped, but eventually they had hemmed their doubles in close enough for their nightmare twins to end up as tangled together in her string and his baton.

“I don’t need your help to get out, _Kitty_ ,” her irritated nightmare form spat darkly.

“I”m not about to let you struggle by yourself, Ladybug.”

Chat Noir smirked, his arms crossing over his chest as he took in their struggle. “They’re almost as bad as we were the first time out.”

Ladybug smiled softly, patting his arm. “That’s not going to hold them forever, but it will buy us some time to draw out Sandboy.”

* * *

Once Sandboy was in sight, the second phase of her plan snapped into action. 

If she had enough difficulty keeping Chat Noir’s mirror version straight...then Sandboy would likely do no better.

Not until it was too late. 

“Leave me alone, Chat Noir!” 

She didn’t have to look back to know that her words had to hurt him. But he trusted her implicitly in this. Hardly missing a beat, the real Chat Noir raced behind her across the rooftops as if Hawkmoth himself was on his heels.

The Akuma was immediately on guard the moment he spotted them, guarding his pillow more fiercely. 

Ladybug spun out her yoyo to catch at the edge of the heavy blankets Sandboy had wrapped around himself and his floating pillow to better shield himself against the inevitable attack, spinning the Akuma more immediately in their orbit.

“You should be fighting her, Chat Noir!” Sandboy bit out.

“I’ll save you from yourself, My Lady.” Chat Noir cried out, channelling a little more flair for the dramatic than usual as he lunged forward, careening solidly toward her.

Grinning, Sandboy leaned down, watching the chaos he was so sure would unfurl below.

Granting them the perfect opportunity. 

She rushed towards him, yoyo back in her hands. Chat’s baton was out, ready to vault and lift them both into position just inches away from his pillow.

When they collided, he scooped her up in a princess carry, freeing her hands to snag the Lucky Charm mirror she had belted on his back. 

Even still overly careful not to let her get hurt, especially with that broken mirror of a Lucky Charm.

Sandboy careened out of range at the last minute… but it wasn’t enough. They had gotten in close enough range for her to reach and snag his pillow mid-air with the half-broken edge of the mirror.

Ladybug breathed more easily as the feathers trailed out of the pillow and she could finally snag the escaping butterfly.

As the Akuma had slipped free from his form, the anxiousness was stark in the young boy’s blue eyes after he was caught and placed safely back on solid ground by Chat.

Chat Noir beamed, falling in at her side. “Let’s put this one to rest, My Lady.”

“Last time it was a movie. This time, I wasn’t even watching anything scary.” The young boy shook his head in disbelief. “Is Hawkmoth never really going to leave him alone?”

Ladybug crouched down beside him. “It’s okay. I know it isn’t always possible to control the nightmares.”

“Sometimes the worst nightmares are the ones that sneak up on you…” Chat Noir peered over at Ladybug, eyes painfully soft. “But as long as Ladybug and I are around, we’ll be here to help bring you back to yourself.”

Her eyes slipped back to Chat Noir’s. There was something bothering him then. More than just the distressing nightmares that Hawkmoth had inspired.

An even, pinched smile slipped over Chat’s face...one that was oddly familiar, even if she had a bit of trouble placing why. “I can take him home, Ladybug. I didn’t use my powers this time.”

She nodded, lingering to watch the pair as they headed off. 

Listening as Chat started to recommend a new show that shouldn't be as scary. 

The same one, in fact, she overheard Adrien and Nino talking about this morning as something for Nino’s brother, Chris to watch. 

* * *

As soon as she was able, Marinette ducked back into the shadows to get Tikki refueled.

She wanted nothing more than to transform back into Ladybug to shadow him...worried now about Chat Noir even more than she was before.

As she paced the rooftop, her mind couldn’t help but to draw parallels. It was how she could leap from idea to idea mid-battle.

But now her mind was connecting the dots far faster than she’d liked. She couldn't help but think just how well the mask seems to fit from behind his eyes. Just how familiar that smile was when it was staring back at her from a billboard across the way.

She really didn’t want to know. All along, she wanted nothing more than to keep Chat Noir as safe as possible.

Then again, all the timing fit _so_ neatly.

“Are you alright, Marinette?” Tikki murmured in between bites. 

“Just thinking…” she assured. 

And that wasn’t a lie… She _was_ thinking… about how it had surprised her that somehow Adrien had apparently been so incautious with the secret of her identity.

But if she was right. If he was Chat Noir? 

She just couldn’t push him away. Not again... Not knowing just how much it was hurting him. 

Just how much it had been hurting her too, all along. 

Marinette bit her lip and picked up her phone, feeling its heavy weight in her hand. But she has to keep him safe somehow.

_Everything_ was counting on it.

Before she could think better of it, she picked up her phone and texted Adrien Agreste…

“Hey, Adrien. I just... I had a really weird dream and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had planned for this one to end here, but I may loop back if continuation inspiration strikes. :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was persuaded to continue this one!
> 
> Big thanks to celestialtitania and AlexSeanchai for beta reading this chapter!

Gently setting the formerly Akumatized little boy back on the ground outside his home, Chat Noir smiled. “The best way to keep Hawkmoth away is to keep laughing. He always seems to sneak in with those stronger sad or angry feelings.”

The young boy frowned, uncertain. “I don’t know if I can keep from being sad.”

Chat Noir’s hand gently rested on his shoulder, stooping down to bridge the gap between them. “That’s okay. It’s okay to have bad days. All of us do. But trying to have good days is way more fun.”

“Is that why you’re always joking with Ladybug?”

Blinking, that rocked Chat back on his heel. That was probably far more on the nose than he’d cared to admit. 

“See?” Chat Noir gently booped him on the nose, grinning at his own silent pun. “ _You_ really are too clever. I think it’s much too dangerous to be trying to fight you again.” 

He gaped. “For real?”

“Yep!” Chat Noir winked. “I’ll pop back over in a few days in a few days to check in on you. You’ll have to tell me what you think of the show, okay?”

The little boy giggled, clearly tickled at the thought as he waved and raced inside his house.

As Chat watched him go, his face fell. As he vaulted back into the sky, his new harsh reality was only just setting in. This was one promised follow up he wasn’t going to be able to keep.

He paused on a nearby rooftop, pressing his forehead wearily to the cool metal of his baton. He was so used to the role...it hadn’t hit him in full that he would probably be handing it all over to Ladybug.

Surely, Marinette would have...whoever she would trust to step into his boots check on the boy -- if she didn’t do it herself.

That’s just the sort of person who she was. It was part of why he had admired her so much -- on _either_ side of the mask.

Gloomily, he sat back upon the dusk-cooled rooftop and peered up at the moon, peeking out from the cloudy skies.

Late as it was, Chat Noir knew he really ought to head home. He hadn’t burned out his powers...and needed to think.

He wanted to tell her. In truth, he knew he had to...but he just couldn’t bear to part with Plagg or the freedom he offered. Not just yet.

Then again, he couldn’t bear the thought of parting with _her_.

Setting his jaw, Chat loomed back and took a running start, sprinting mindlessly over Paris’s rooftops as fast as his feet could carry him, with the wind rushing past his ears. 

All along...it had been _Marinette_ who was pushing him away. She had been honest with him from the start, gently cutting short his hopes when he wondered cockily why she had quite so many pictures of him in her room.

As plain old Adrien, maybe he could still be near her. As a friend, of course. Except now, he’d still be a risk to her because he knew who she was. 

He set his jaw. That meant that he would need to keep away from her to keep her safe…

All of loneliness -- the time away from his friends that his Father enforced -- was only really ever bearable because he could escape.

But having to avoid Marinette, _too_? That really was too much to bear.

“It...it isn’t supposed to hurt like this, is it?” The words slipped past his lips as he caught sight of the fairy lights that lit up her rooftop off in the distance.

From the very start, he had always valued her as a friend. He had always admired her. Sure, she wasn’t perfect. 

Not that he had been convinced that even Ladybug was perfect either. But it didn’t stop him from loving her fiercely. 

In fact, it was that blindness to who she really was that had kept Marinette so safe.

_So far._

When the tensions of battle were high, he had saved others, too. He’d only ever saved Kagami when she was heartbroken. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have doubted she’d want to save herself.

But Marinette? Marinette has always been different. He just hadn’t understood why. He’d never bothered to look too closely, not with his heart so firmly ensnared by Ladybug’s yoyo.

In spite of all of the hardships, Marinette was endlessly kind and generous…even to some people who had hardly deserved it. She even took polite criticism with grace.

She was the only one he could have ever trusted to show the rooftop date he had planned for Ladybug.

Chat Noir’s head bowed, biting the inside of his cheek as he touched down on the very rooftop where he’d laid everything out with flowers and candles. 

It turns out, he _had_ actually gotten that rooftop date with Ladybug twice over...even if he hadn’t realized it. No wonder she had been so surprised when he confessed he loved Ladybug. No wonder she had been far more gentle in letting him down than he would have thought otherwise.

His hand lifted to scrub a claw over his flushed cheeks, pacing back and forth upon the tiny fenced rooftop. 

Had her balcony confession to him only ever been a ruse to keep herself safe after the Akuma attack? Or was her father right? Had he gotten to her heart, even a little? Had he actually had a real chance with Marinette, one that he had missed in all of his stubborn loyalty?

His feet slowly shuffled to a stop, eyeing the light still on from her bedroom below. 

She really did deserve to know. He swore to himself he would protect her...and she _trusted_ him to do that. Even if her main fear was how he kept risking his life for her without hesitation, Marinette was the one who needed to make the choice.

He trusted her with that, and would continue to do so, no matter what. 

She was the Guardian, after all. He was just there to protect her in any way that she would allow him.

With an impatient huff, he grit his teeth, readying his baton to vault the final distance to her rooftop, arms extended forward.

At the final step, he stopped short. Wide green gaze trained upon the arm of his suit, upon the claw firmly gripping his baton.

Chat Noir exhaled sharply before vaulting in the opposite direction. 

He would tell her soon...once he found the words.

But it would have to wait. He just needed to say goodbye to Plagg first.

* * *

Smiling silently, he watched as Plagg merrily dove into the mini-fridge to pig out on the stash of Camembert.

Patting his head, Adrien turned to his closet, peering into the wardrobe drawers. 

With a fashion designer for a father, his pajamas were the only thing he really got the freedom to choose. He had three favorite pairs of Ladybug-themed pajamas neatly tucked away at the top of the drawer. 

But tonight... the Chat Noir pajamas felt a little more apt. 

He might only be Chat Noir for one more night, but he was going to continue to hold onto it. Even if this was only this pale version of his transformation, he intended to sleep in it — to dream of the happier times with her and Plagg — until the threads wore bare.

As he tugged the clothes on, his gaze was inevitably pulled to the Lucky Charm Marinette had made him, sitting out on his nightstand so he could pick it up first thing before he headed to class. 

With a lovelorn sigh, he picked it up and dropped the string of beads into the pajama shirt pocket. He was going to need every spare scrap of luck just to fall asleep tonight.

He ducked into the bathroom, brushing his teeth and washing his face as was his usual for his bedtime routine. Far too much was different this evening. Half of him just wanted to slip into bed and try to pretend this had all just been an awful nightmare.

It was no nightmare that Marinette was Ladybug. 

But the fact that he knew…

Adrien shook his head, padding back out into his room.

The fridge door still stood open, but Plagg was already snoozing noisily on his pillow.

Sighing, Adrien sat down on the bed beside him, debating whether he should nudge Plagg awake immediately to tell him goodbye.

Needing to distract himself, he picked up his phone. It was only then that he spotted the message from Marinette: “Hey. I just...I had a really weird dream and wanted to make sure you were okay.”

His eyes grew wide. She _knew_. She _had_ to...

His hand scrubbed over his mouth as he wearily dropped his head back against the pillow, his eyes reading over her words again and again. If he ever had a doubt lingering in his mind that Marinette was Ladybug...and he was now as sure as he could be. Even if he hadn’t seen her transformation, no one else made nearly as much sense.

She had sent that an hour and a half ago.

Knowing Marinette, she was probably worried.

Frantically, his fingers flew across the keys. “Sorry. I just managed to grab a nap. Didn’t sleep well earlier.”

He glanced over at Plagg before adding, “I guess there was another Akuma?” It was easy enough to play dumb. Most people didn’t think he was that smart. To most of the rest of Paris, he was either the teen model who got his role by genetic lottery or the superhero sidekick. 

But his friends knew better. _Marinette_ knew better what he was capable of.

As he listened to the soft snuffling snore of Plagg on the pillow beside him, Adrien frowned down at his phone in his hand, willing it to buzz. 

Marinette was quiet. Had she fallen asleep?

Exhaling slowly, Adrien raised the phone above his head and quickly fired off another message. “I guess you must have fallen back asleep. Hope your dreams are better this time around.”

His almost certainly wouldn’t be.

Closing his eyes, he set the phone back down against his night stand. 

Hugging his pillow to his chest, he settled in. His gaze shifted, eyes focused on watching the clouds slowly pass over to obscure the moon. It was all he could do to try to forget the conversations he would need to have come morning. Absently, his fingers trailed across to the other pillow, petting Plagg between his ears. 

The low rumbling purr was the only thing that finally pulled the smile across his face.

Adrien chuckled softly, petting him a bit more as Plagg leaned into his touch.

Absently, his eyes trailed back over to the moon, just in time to catch the clouds slowly parting.

It was only then that he spotted the flash of red resting on his windowsill.

Wide eyed, he leapt up out of bed, not quite daring to breath as he slowly walked in disbelief towards the window.

Any other night, he would be entirely certain that this was a dream, especially with her looking so picturesque and wreathed in moonlight. Belatedly, he wished he had grabbed his phone and had the presence of mind to take a picture.

Her forehead was pressed against the pane of glass. Her blue eyes slowly slid open, head tilting in a silent question. _Can I come in?_

He exhaled sharply, walking over to the window to let her in.

Even if it might hurt him, he was never going to be able to tell her no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully the rest will be coming soon!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to constantconfusion for beta reading this quickly for me! 
> 
> Thanks also go out to Yunyin for some strategic staging help! :D
> 
> So much fic to write, so little time!

As he opened up the window pane, Adrien peered up at Ladybug, standing uncertain in his window sill. His heart on his Chat Noir pajama sleeves as he extended a hand up to her to help her down.

Her blue gaze settled upon it, blinking in hesitation.

His brows rose. That was unusual. Ladybug was all about quick action.

Instead, she tilted her head, watching him carefully for a few fraught seconds more.

Much to his surprise, when Ladybug finally moved, it was to fit her hand neatly onto his.

His knees bent as he helped her down to the ground, supporting her side to keep her landing light. It was something he had done so often for civilians as Chat Noir that it had felt like second nature to him now.

“Ummm...hello.” Ladybug gulped as she stood face to face with him, searching his eyes. 

“Hello,” he echoed, taking a few extra moments to commit her face to memory. Alya’s efforts ensured there would always be pictures. But they would always pale in comparison to the real thing.

Shaking his head, Adrien took a half step away, breaking the trance. 

“I just happened to be out.” She breathed, her fingers of her free hand straying to tuck a few stray bangs behind her ear.

“On Patrol?” He hadn’t realized he spoke the question aloud until she nodded. 

“Huh.” Adrien murmured. Chivalry — or perhaps a long ingrained sense of manners — had him leading her over to the couch, their hands still joined together. Gesturing to the couch, he urged her to sit down before he did, facing away from where Plagg was still sleeping on his bed. “I didn’t think you were usually out so late.” 

He sat down on the other side of the couch, facing towards her. Carefully, he kept his distance, trying not to let it show much it affected him feeling her gloved fingers slip from his own.

“I needed to think...after the evening’s attack.”

Adrien inhaled. He definitely wasn’t ready for this. “The Dream Akuma again?”

“Mmmhmm,” she nodded. 

“It was a little rough,” he murmured, fussing with his ring. “Last time, too.”

Ladybug’s eyes darted down to his ring, but she didn’t say a thing.

He was so sure that she knew, and she had to realize that he knew, too. His brows furrowed. She had to. Why __else__ would she be here?

His eyes darted back to Plagg snoozing on the pillow.

All the pieces were here to find...All she had to do was to look.

It would have been so easy for her. He was certain of it. He had seen her piece everything together countless times.

And yet… she sat quietly, puzzling the problem at hand.

Adrien sighed. He was always the first one to take the hits, so she could see things through to another day. He would have to be the one to broach it first. “You didn’t get my message then?”

Ladybug looked up, startled. “What?”

Methodically, he stood, slowly plodding over to his phone on his nightstand like a death march.

As he picked up the phone, he unlocked it as he walked back, reading his own words aloud. “I guess you must have fallen back asleep. Hope your dreams are better this time around.”

Ladybug is increasingly, delightfully flustered. She blushed a pretty pink.

Half of him wished that Marinette would call her transformation off so he could see it to fullest effect.

The dots were all there, laid out for her to connect. 

He knew — without a doubt — just by the look on her face that she had connected them. Neither of them had said it. Not out loud, but the tension still hung thick in the air.

Quickly, Ladybug stood up to pace the full length of his window, fretting and twisting her fingers with the gloves. It wasn’t a habit he’d ever really noticed from Ladybug. 

But Marinette? 

“Honestly, Adrien,” Ladybug started. “That’s __really__ sweet of you. But I don't publish my number anyways.” She smiled ruefully. “For obvious reasons. I’m afraid you must have gotten ahold of one of my fans posing as me.” 

He sat back against the couch cushions, puzzled why she would be clamming up now. “But I didn’t....” he trailed off, confused. What was she up to?

“You had a nightmare, too, then?” She murmured, stopping in front of him. Commanding his gaze.

He nodded, studiously looking away from her. “I’m used to everyone pushing me away. But it always hurts the most from those who really matter to me.”

She watched him closely, speaking not even a word. “Do you want to know about my nightmare?”

He nodded, angling more towards her on the couch. 

She smiled softly. “Superheroes don’t have many people they can confide in.”

Adrien smiled, flushing slightly. “I think I can imagine. But I am always here if you need an ear. Or...anything else I can help you with, really.”

She smiled softly, sitting back down on the couch beside him, a little closer this time. “ _ _Something__ tells me you can keep a secret.”

The smile that lingered on his face was genuine. 

“I haven’t really told anyone about this. Not except my Kwami. But you know…”

He blinked, catching on quickly. “About Kwami, yes. Even if I can’t ever hold one again, it isn’t something you can easily forget.”

Ladybug smiled softly. “You already went above and beyond the call with that…”

“I was happy to help…” His shoulders slumped. “Well… at least to __try__.” 

“It was enough.” She assured, gloved hand over his.. “I __promise__. I just was clearly missing the whole picture. We needed more hands, and that wasn’t possible without Chat Noir.”

Adrien tilted his head. “He really means that much to you?”

Though her gaze was a little unfocused as she peered out the window, she blushed a little more brightly. “Always.”

His smile grew, bursting with a happiness only months of modelling had helped him to keep in check. He was sure his blush would match hers, but that thought only made him happier still.

“Although,” She murmured, more softly now, so he had to lean in a little more. “I don't think I ever realized quite how much until recently.”

Her eyes were suddenly serious, as she hugged the leg closest to him to her chest. “Underneath all the jokes and jovial nature, Chat has never held back. Not when it comes to protecting people. Not when it comes to protecting me.”

Adrien frowned. Somehow, he knew they would have to talk about this, but it didn’t help knowing just how much it made her hurt.

She sighed. “That’s such a scary thing. He puts such faith in me. But there is no guarantee that I can always save him.”

His eyes slid shut in shame. Keeping her safe was the most important thing, but it couldn’t come at the cost of her happiness.

“My nightmare,” she said finally, “was about Chat Noir. He sacrificed anything and everything he could for me, over and over. Until it destroyed the whole world.”

Adrien looked confused. That wasn’t what he had seen tonight at all. Sure his alter ego had fizzled from existence once or twice. But the world was still spinning on its axis throughout. “I can’t even understand how that would even be possible.”

“Neither could I,” she admits, her eyes darting out the window to mull the full moon. Haunted by the silvery glow. “Not at first. My partner...he’s strong. Insanely strong. But the Chat Noir I know is gentle enough to keep that power in check. At least until he managed to get akumatized…”

Adrien gaped. That was something he would definitely remember. Mentally he replayed every battle, every run down on the Ladyblog, only to come up empty. 

He may not have remembered...but she clearly did. This dream was clearly much too vivid to be anything else.

“I still don’t really understand how that happened. In my duties, I have lost him… far more than I've ever cared to... but this time, he was well beyond my reach.” She shook her head wildly. “I still don’t understand how that could have happened. It just reminds me that we’re both vulnerable. Paris couldn’t survive without both of us, keeping one another in check.”

“How…” He choked up slightly. “How on Earth did you manage to defeat him?”

Frowning, he glanced over at him, setting her hand on top of his. 

“I had to...go underground for a bit...to figure out how everything had gone wrong.” Ladybug nibbled at her lip, peering over at him pointedly. “It had taken a little __time__.”

His brows rose, quickly taking the hint. Her offhand reference to Bunnyx… was telling. There was only really one other person who got close enough to understand and that was Alix herself. 

She trusted him to get it. 

He flipped his hand over, linking it with hers and squeezing it gently. 

Ladybug leaned against him. “I don't remember a lot. If I’m being honest with myself, I've really __tried hard__ to forget it. But one thing Chat Noir told me while Akumatized has haunted me to this day.”

Adrien frowned, almost afraid to ask. “What is it?”

Her face grew slack, wetness already welling in her eyes. “That it was _ _our love__ that destroyed the whole world.”

Adrien gaped. He had taken plenty of hits that hurt far less than those very words.

"I really do love him, you know.” An absurd grin cut through the sheen of tears that still threatened to fall. 

Adrien shook his head, diving in to hug her for all he was worth. 

“Maybe not the way he wants...or deserves.” She sniffed audibly against his shoulder. “But I care about him far too much to see him suffer like that. Not ever again.”

Petulant, he pulled back slightly, so he could see her face clearly. His nostrils flaring as his hands settled onto her shoulders. “So you get to suffer instead? Alone? How is that fair?”

She shrugged wearily beneath his fingertips. “It isn’t forever. Just until Hawkmoth's wings are clipped. Until the Akuma no longer darken the skies.”

He hugged her fiercely, smile wavering only slightly. “That might be a long time to be apart. Hawkmoth hasn’t exactly been easy to take down thus far.”

“Trust me,” she whispered into his ear. “I know.”

When she squeezed his shoulders slightly, Adrien let up, searching her eyes for another hint of what she was planning. 

She was staring straight back at him, barely even blinking. “But you see, I’m never really alone. Not with him by my side.”

Breathless, Adrien slumped back into the couch.

When he thought she was out of surprises, Ladybug only knocked him off his feet once more, gently pressing her lips to his cheek. “Thank you. I really needed to tell...someone.”

He cleared his throat, taking a long, slow breath. “I am here for _you_. Anytime you need.”

The softest, sweetest smile crossed her lips, simply for him.

“Mm—” Adrien started, reaching out to grab her hand, desperate to savor every single last second. “I meant it. Sweet dreams this time.”

She smiled softly, giving his hand one final squeeze before bounding back up onto the windowsill. “I really do hope so.”


End file.
